I used to think manifestation was about thinking positive and maintaining a high vibe long enough for the universe to finally save me from my problems.
Have you felt this way, too?
The idea of “good vibes only” and “getting into the vortex,” when taken at face value, misses the mark on how manifestation actually works.
Let me tell you something: if someone had told me years ago that writing in a journal would change my life, I would’ve laughed and said, “Yeah, okay… next suggestion, please.” Because I didn’t like journaling. At all.
Growing up, I thought journaling was something only dramatic teenage girls did in movies, writing about their crushes and secrets in little pink diaries with a lock and key.
But somewhere along the way, I noticed something strange; I was doing all the “healing,” but I wasn’t actually living. I wasn’t exploring new passions or creating joy on purpose. I wasn’t pouring into my home or feeling rooted in my present. I wasn’t building the life I said I wanted. I was just working on myself…forever. It was like I’d turned healing into a lifestyle, a full-time job, a personality trait.
As a Filipino-American woman navigating the complexities of modern life, life has taught me that true confidence emerges not from conforming to others’ expectations, but from deeply embracing the self – including one’s cultural heritage, values, and lived experiences.
As BIPOC women, many of us have grown up in environments where compromise was a survival skill. We’ve often had to navigate spaces that weren’t designed for us—whether in our workplaces, communities, or even within cultural norms—by diminishing parts of ourselves to fit in, avoid conflict, or gain acceptance.
